I made hot cross buns! But I ran out of time so they didn't have crosses. Oh well, I guess that is only proper for an atheist who doesn't believe in people rising from the dead (unless they're zombies).
500gm plain flour
45gm butter, cubed
45gm raw sugar + 2 extra tablespoons
1tsp salt
1tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 tsp dried yeast
1 egg
275ml whole milk + 4 extra tablespoons
100gm sultanas
Sift 500gm of the flour in a bowl and rub in the butter. Stir in 45gm raw sugar, salt, spices and yeast. Add the egg and milk, and knead into a pliable dough. Knead 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Return to the bowl, cover with cling film and leave somewhere warm for an hour (it should double in size).
Tip the dough onto a floured surface and knock the air out, knead well then split into 12 even-sized buns. Cover with oiled cling film and leave for another 30 mins (I left this step out but they turned out ok regardless!)
Bake for 15 minutes at 200° until golden. Meanwhile, put the extra milk and sugar in a pan and heat gently to dissolve the sugar, then boil for a few minutes. Brush the glaze over the warm buns.
If you want to add crosses, just mix 125gm flour with some water to make a paste, and pipe onto the buns before baking.
Serve hot from the oven, split open with butter.
Monday, April 09, 2012
Tuesday, April 03, 2012
Nic Cage losing his sh*t
Oh my lord, this is gold. I think I'm going to have to see Deadfall now just to witness Nic's epic comic performance.
Thanks for the tip, Posc!
Monday, March 26, 2012
On being 35 and single
OK technically, I'm not quite single. But the relationship I'm in is very complicated and I'm not sure we're going to make it through the obstacle course we've been presented with. I am, however, 35, unmarried, and at that delicate point where my fertility is apparently starting to nosedive. Can I just say, and I'm sorry if this sounds like I'm stating the obvious: it's really difficult being in this position. It's properly, existentially, painful.
Despite this, I enjoy my freedom. I like my life, even though I feel the lack of a significant other keenly. But the hardest thing about being 35 and single? Feeling like (and being treated like) you're abnormal.
Most of my friends are happily married with several mini-me's occupying their spare bedrooms. This is fine - great, even, if you like kids (and I do) - but there are times when it's impossible to avoid feeling like a complete freak of nature (behold, The Last Single Girl On Earth!) - an object of pity and/or a problem to be solved (usually by pairing me off with various other stragglers in the game of bonk/marry/procreate).
Here are some of my coping strategies for the other single thirty-something-never-married-no-kids peeps out there. If anyone else has advice, please feel free to share!
- Make the most of your friends kids. I may or may not have kids of my own - I know that it's out of my hands - but I get to have relationships with my friends kids, and that makes me feel slightly better about it. Plus, I can't wait for my future nieces and nephews to make an appearance.
- Observe your friends relationships and take notes. One couple I know are great at treating their kids like people (not cute playthings); another have conversations where they look at and listen to each other - surprisingly rare in a lot of long-term relationships. Spending this much time on your own, you've got more time to figure out what you want and don't want from a long-term partner.
- Cultivate friends outside your age bracket. It will give you a different perspective having friends who are older and wiser, as well as younger and more wide-eyed. Easier said than done, but I'm lucky to have come across a few good ones that I treasure.
- Male friends help. Thank goodness for the single blokes out there - ex-boyfriends and old school mates who are still footloose & fancy-free. I find blokes in my age bracket are more likely to be single/unmarried and a whole lot less likely to angst about it.
- Don't feel obliged to attend every engagement party/baby shower/first birthday/christening you are invited to. There are a shed-load of these things, and it can get tiring being the only single person surrounded by families. Your friends won't mind if you skip a few, or just show your face briefly, especially if you're feeling vulnerable.
- Enjoy this time. I can't help feeling like I will look back on this time and envy the boundless freedom I currently enjoy.
- Don't lose heart. Yuh, it's hard. If you find yourself in that terrible dark place where all seems bleak and hopeless and just too damn hard - wait it out. One day the spark will reappear and you'll be on the roller-coaster again.
Despite this, I enjoy my freedom. I like my life, even though I feel the lack of a significant other keenly. But the hardest thing about being 35 and single? Feeling like (and being treated like) you're abnormal.
Most of my friends are happily married with several mini-me's occupying their spare bedrooms. This is fine - great, even, if you like kids (and I do) - but there are times when it's impossible to avoid feeling like a complete freak of nature (behold, The Last Single Girl On Earth!) - an object of pity and/or a problem to be solved (usually by pairing me off with various other stragglers in the game of bonk/marry/procreate).
Here are some of my coping strategies for the other single thirty-something-never-married-no-kids peeps out there. If anyone else has advice, please feel free to share!
- Make the most of your friends kids. I may or may not have kids of my own - I know that it's out of my hands - but I get to have relationships with my friends kids, and that makes me feel slightly better about it. Plus, I can't wait for my future nieces and nephews to make an appearance.
- Observe your friends relationships and take notes. One couple I know are great at treating their kids like people (not cute playthings); another have conversations where they look at and listen to each other - surprisingly rare in a lot of long-term relationships. Spending this much time on your own, you've got more time to figure out what you want and don't want from a long-term partner.
- Cultivate friends outside your age bracket. It will give you a different perspective having friends who are older and wiser, as well as younger and more wide-eyed. Easier said than done, but I'm lucky to have come across a few good ones that I treasure.
- Male friends help. Thank goodness for the single blokes out there - ex-boyfriends and old school mates who are still footloose & fancy-free. I find blokes in my age bracket are more likely to be single/unmarried and a whole lot less likely to angst about it.
- Don't feel obliged to attend every engagement party/baby shower/first birthday/christening you are invited to. There are a shed-load of these things, and it can get tiring being the only single person surrounded by families. Your friends won't mind if you skip a few, or just show your face briefly, especially if you're feeling vulnerable.
- Enjoy this time. I can't help feeling like I will look back on this time and envy the boundless freedom I currently enjoy.
- Don't lose heart. Yuh, it's hard. If you find yourself in that terrible dark place where all seems bleak and hopeless and just too damn hard - wait it out. One day the spark will reappear and you'll be on the roller-coaster again.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
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